Help Expose! TSA Caught Covering Up Pat-Down Complaints, Lying in FOIA Response

The "big" document dump of TSA pat-down complaints from the end of 2010, courtesy of governmentattic.org, included 201 complaints, while in a subset of that time, the ACLU recorded 900 complaints.

Suspicious? So was I. I checked my records, and I sent a complaint within the relevant time period, and mine somehow isn't among the 201.

I'm trying to expose this at my blog, so if you wrote to the TSA (snail-mail only), DHS, or Office of the President in Q4 2010 regarding TSA pat-downs, please check the document dump and reply on my blog as to whether or not your complaint was among those released:

http://tsaoutofourpants.wordpress.c...p-pat-down-complaints-lying-in-foia-response/

--Jon

 

So their "hit rate" for releasing complaints approximates that of their three-out-of-four failure rate at finding actual prohibited items?

 

haha exactly Although a 25% success rate probably exaggerates the TSA's prowess.

--Jon

 

Even a blind pig occasionally digs up a truffle (cupcake?).

It's just that the TSA's blind pigs are typically looking for acorns when they find the truffle (cupcake).

 

Ok, so, let me get this straight.

1. They failed to solicit public comment on their proposed rule change.
2. They instituted the rule change without first soliciting public comment.
3. After they instituted the rule change, they received numerous complaints about the rule change.
4. When a record of the complaints about the rule change was requested under the FOIA, they did not produce all of the complaints that they received.

Why am I not surprised by all this?

 

Because you're so smart, and I like that about my blondes.

--Jon

 

201 seems like an unlikely number, doesn't it? I can imagine a higher up decided, go ahead and release 200 of the several thousand documents. Then someone else said, an even 200 would be obviously not a real number, wouldn't it? So then, higher up number one said, okay, fine, make it 201.

 

I recall that ACLU had a list of several hundred, far in excess of 200, and many mention complaining to TSA as well. There have also been other sites aggregating complaints such as Rutherford and EPIC that may be good sources.

 

I submitted a complaint via the TSA Got Feedback in February 2010. I pushed this incident as hard as I could. I was contacted by TSA people at DFW with no signs of any kind of action, I pushed on to OIG and the DHS Ombudsmen. I was never able to get any kind of resolution from anyone at DHS. Sounds like my issue was earlier than what you are looking at.